House Hunting Trip – which PMQ?

Each House Hunting Trip is a quest unto its own. When we set off to CFB Gagetown last week for our trip we didn’t know what to expect! We had some private listings to look at, and included some PMQs for good measure. It quickly became apparent that a PMQ was once again the best option for us, so instead of boring you all with photos of apartments to rent off-base, I’m sharing the four PMQs we toured, and ultimately chose from.

As a family without kids we’re only entitled to two or three bedrooms in either a bungalow, A-frame or Row house. We crossed the bungalows off the list from the get go, and opted to tour two row houses and two A-frames, all of them completely renovated.

It would seem that since we were last there, the town of Oromocto, CFB Gagetown and CFHA Gagetown have invested millions of dollars into bringing the PMQs into the 21st century and up to code for a livable domicile.

We had a less than stellar experience the first time around with row house living so we were already leaning more towards the A-frames, but after touring them all it wasn’t as cut and dry as we would have thought.

The newly renovated Qs would give anyone a beautiful home. I’ve snapped photos inside each of the Qs, but editing them all would have taken forever. What I will do, is reveal photos of the interior when we tell you which one we’ve chosen! Leave a comment and tell me which one you think we went for and why!

2 Bedrooms

1.5 baths, with full bathroom on the main floor and powder room on second floor

Garage

Driveway with two parking spots

Tankless water heater

Electric thermostat

AIR CONDITIONING

Pros:

Open concept floor plan

Garage for storage, which would make up for lost square footage from our current Q

Double sink in the kitchen, as well as a dishwashing hook-up

AIR CONDITIONING

5 minute walk to the dog park

Newly paved driveway

Great exposure with tons of natural light

Cons:

The kitchen has dark cabinets and dark counters – this is a big concern for me because of the open floor plan. I don’t want the colour of the cabinets to dictate the colour palette in the rest of the house, so tying the spaces together would take some skill on my part

The house feels like half the size of our current PMQ – we’d be downsizing in a serious way

The master bedroom can only fit a bed and two bed-side tables

The ceilings on the second floor are sloped

There’s no privacy in the backyard (but that can be fixed)

We would have no guest room

3 bedrooms

1 bathroom

Shed in the backyard

Two parking spots out front

Air Conditioning

Tankless Water Heater

Pros:

Open concept floor plan

Double sink in the kitchen, as well as a dishwashing hook-up

Enough bedrooms for a guest bedroom and office on the second floor

End of the row, so only neighbours on one side

It’s about the same size as our current PMQ, just a bit smaller, so not too much downsizing

Cons:

The backyard consists of a shed, and two long tire-tracks, before backing onto a busy road

Steep steps out front, which will be a b*tch to keep ice-free in the winter

The road into the block of rows has potholes that double as swimming pools when it rains

The basement layout is awkward and the ceiling feels low

No place for the dog out back or out front

No place for our big harvest table

No privacy from the road

The series of Qs is separated from the others by two major roads

Further walk to the dog park

3 bedrooms

1.5 Bathrooms

The row is tucked in behind some other rows, with grassy knolls between them

Small yard in the back separated by low fence and clothes lines

2 Parking spots

Air Conditioning

Tankless Water Heater

Pros:

Open concept floor plan

Quiet location

Close walk to the dog park

Relative Privacy

The powder room on the main floor is nice, as opposed to having the full bath on the main floor

Three bedrooms means we don’t loose too much space

Cons:

No place for the dog out back or out front

No place for our big harvest table

The staircase down the middle of the house creates an awkward traffic flow on the main floor

The two parking spots are not in front of the house and the walk way to the row might be perilous in winter

No shed or garage

Our snow clearance would be at the mercy of whoever is contracted to clear the parking lot

Not a lot of natural light because of the location between trees and behind other rows

2 bedrooms

1.5 bathrooms

Driveway

Yard out front and out back

Air Conditioning

Tankless water heater

Pros:

Open concept floor plan

Quiet lot

Newly Renovated

Double sink and dishwasher hook-up

Spitting distance to dog park

The bat keep (pictured here – way in the back, nailed high on a tree) will mean we’re less likely to have as many mosquitos and bugs during the summer, that is, of course, assuming it’s occupied

Cons:

The second floor bedrooms can’t hold more than a double sized bed (I’m not kidding)

No shed or garage

The front lawn is bigger than the backyard, so we’d have to move our outdoor life out front and figure out that fence issue

The kitchen doesn’t get a lot of natural light

The house backs onto a wooded area, which in Gagetown means a LOT of mosquitos.

I’ll let you guys take a guess on which one we chose! Let me know in the comments 🙂

Btw I was putting on quite the show on snapchat for those following me while we toured the homes. I shared the inside of each home, my thoughts, impressions etc. You should follow me!

I’m going to guess Option 3. I’d knock out the 2 A frames based on the full bath being in the main floor. And then option 2 with those deadly steps. But even with no yard in option 3 your close to the dog park and have much more space.

I can’t even begin to guess! Is this your first posting to Gagetown? We were just posted here last summer but chose to buy off base. If you’d like to grab a coffee or need a hand with anything, shoot me an email!

Hi Jennifer! We’re actually returning to Gagetown! To one of the schools no less, for a course. We considered some off-base options but for where we are in life right now, you can’t beat the advantages of base-life. A meet up for sure! XO

Welcome to Gagetown (almost). First of all, I’m totally jealous that the Q’s have air conditioning now…we lived in an A-frame and a duplex and neither had a/c ???? I’m going to say that you’re gonna ng to pick option 2 or 4. Looks like 4 is on St John Ave (SUPER busy street, btw). Good luck!

I know! None of the PMQs we’ve lived in have ever had A/C! This is going to be nuts!
And thank you 🙂 There’s a just under two months, but it feels like we have to run a marathon before we get there! See you on the other side!

I think I would pick option a in your case. With dogs I think having outdoor space is quite important! It also has a garage for storage, and has a bedroom big enough for a bed. The decor issue may present a problem, but it’s a minor issue compared to some of the other cons! Good luck and all the best with your move!